Obama balancing storm response with campaigning

President Barack Obama hugs his daughter Sasha as he walks with Malia as they leave St. John's Episcopal Church to walk across Lafayette Park as they return to the White House in Washington, on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
— AP

President Barack Obama hugs his daughter Sasha as he walks with Malia as they leave St. John's Episcopal Church to walk across Lafayette Park as they return to the White House in Washington, on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
/ AP

President Barack Obama walks to St. John's Episcopal Church from the White House with his daughters Sasha, left, and Malia, in Washington, on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
/ AP

WASHINGTON 
President Barack Obama has spent months trying to balance his re-election bid with running the government.

Now, just when his campaign needs him the most, with little more than a week before the election, his official job is beckoning.

Republican challenger Mitt Romney, too, faces questions about how to conduct his campaign as a superstorm charges toward the East Coast. But as president, it's Obama who oversees the federal government's preparations for the looming storm and it's Obama who will bear the responsibility for any missteps.

With that in mind, Obama scrapped some campaign events for Monday, as well as Tuesday morning. He planned to return to the White House Monday afternoon to monitor the storm and the government's response.

"My first priority has to be making sure that everything is in place" to help those affected by the storm, Obama told campaign workers in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday night. He said the storm meant he would "not be able to campaign quite as much over the next few days."

Still, ripping up Obama's strategically planned travel schedule was something his Chicago-based campaign was loath to do unless absolutely necessary.

In the tight race, the candidates have few opportunities left to blitz through the most competitive states, trying to build momentum and make a final pitch to undecided voters.

The president's handling of the storm could sway those late-breaking voters. If Obama is perceived as a strong leader who shows command in a crisis, some undecided voters may be compelled to back the president. But a botched response or a sense that he's putting politics over public safety could weaken his support at a point in the race where there's little chance to reverse course.

"I think that the president of the United States is the commander in chief. The American people look to him, and I'm sure he will conduct himself and play his leadership role in a fine fashion. So I would imagine that might help him a little bit," said Arizona Sen. John McCain, who lost to Obama in 2008.

"But I'm not sure it will affect votes. People have been exposed to this very long campaign," he said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

Obama advisers say they've learned the lessons from President George W. Bush's widely criticized response to Hurricane Katrina. Bush was seen as ineffective and out of touch, and his presidency never recovered.

That's why Obama's team has moved quickly throughout the year to avoid the impression that the president was shirking his responsibilities, even as the campaign ramped up.

When separate crises struck Colorado this summer - destructive wildfires and a mass shooting at a movie theater - Obama hastily arranged trips to meet with victims and their families. When a hurricane barreled through the Gulf Coast ahead of the Democratic Convention, the president added a stop in New Orleans to his preconvention itinerary.

But those decisions were far easier than what's facing Obama's team. Back then, there was time to add or reschedule trips. Now, with just nine days until Election Day, time is a precious commodity and canceling trips may mean never having the chance to make them up.